Department for Transport

Road Traffic: Greater London

Paul Scully: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of congestion on London’s international competitiveness.

Jesse Norman: Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and is delivered by Transport for London, which manages the Transport for London Road Network ('red routes'), and is responsible for London’s 6,000+ sets of traffic lights. It would therefore be for the Mayor to make any assessment of the effect of congestion on London’s roads, on its international competitiveness.

Road Traffic: Greater London

Paul Scully: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to hold discussions with the newly appointed Deputy Mayor for Transport in London on the effect on traffic congestion of the cycle superhighways.

Jesse Norman: Ministers and officials at the Department for Transport hold regular meetings with the Mayor of London, officials in his office and Transport for London. A range of topics are discussed at these meetings. The Minister for London most recently met the Deputy Mayor for Transport in London in July. The Secretary of State currently does not have any scheduled meetings with the Deputy Mayor for Transport. I have met with her predecessor and look forward to meeting with her in due course.

Road Traffic: Greater London

Paul Scully: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on trends in the level of traffic congestion in London as a result of the roll-out of cycle superhighways; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London, and it is for him to consider what, if any, assessment is made of the effects of cycle superhighways on traffic congestion. The Department for Transport does not routinely hold information on trends in the level of congestion in London, other than what is already publicly available information.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Compensation

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department holds information on the rate of delay repay claims submitted since the introduction of the revised train timetable for (a) Great Northern Rail and (b) Govia Thameslink Services.

Joseph Johnson: From 27 May 2018 to 23 June 2018, around 245,000 Delay Repay claims were received by Govia Thameslink Railway, of which around 45,000 relate to Great Northern services. The average figure across the year before this period was around 85,000 overall, of which around 16,000 on average related to Great Northern. Data for the period after 23 June 2018 is not yet available.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Timetables

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times (a) he and (b) the Minister with responsibility for rail have met the chief executive of Govia Thameslink Railway since the introduction of the new national rail timetable.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 19 July 2018



The Secretary of State and I, as the Rail Minister, have had various meetings with the Chief Executives (Charles Horton, Nick Brown [Chief Operating Officer] and Patrick Verwer) of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) since the timetable change on 20 May: The Secretary of State and I held a teleconference with Charles Horton on 29 May 2018. The Secretary of State held a further teleconference with Charles Horton on 4 June 2018. The Secretary of State and I held a meeting with Charles Horton on 12 June 2018. The Secretary of State and I held a meeting with Nick Brown on 27 June 2018. I held a phone call with Patrick Verwer on 4 July 2018. I met with Nick Brown on 17 July. And officials at the Department are in daily contact with GTR.

Railways: Complaints

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many public complaints in respect of train delays his Department received in each of the last 12 months.

Joseph Johnson: The information is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The correspondence management system focusses on dealing with a wide range of transport issues; it does not focus specifically on categorising each piece of correspondence in this level of detail.

Crossrail 2 Line

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made on Crossrail 2; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Crossrail 2 project is still in the early design stages and no final decisions have been made on a route, funding, or financing. We have commissioned the Crossrail 2 Independent Affordability Review to examine ways to make the project more affordable. This review is progressing well, and when we receive its conclusions in the summer, we will discuss these with the Mayor of London and decide on next steps to progress the project.

Crossrail 2 Line

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) Deputy Mayor for Transport on the construction of Crossrail 2.

Joseph Johnson: The Secretary of State and other ministers have regular discussions with stakeholders, including the Mayor of London and Deputy Mayor for Transport, about the development of proposals for Crossrail 2. The current priority for the project is to improve its affordability, through the Independent Affordability Review.

Crossrail 2 Line

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the quantum of change in Crossrail 2 costings since the Crossrail Update report of May 2018.

Joseph Johnson: We have commissioned the Crossrail 2 Independent Affordability Review to ensure that the scheme delivers value for money. The Crossrail 2 cost estimates are under constant review by Transport for London and the Department for Transport to ensure that the scheme reflects the best evidence and learns from other infrastructure projects. As part of the Crossrail 2 Independent Affordability Review there is a focus on the cost of the project which includes an assessment of value engineering opportunities.

Govia Thameslink Railway and Northern: Timetables

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2018 to Question 161175, if will estimate in monetary terms the economic cost of the disruption caused by the rail timetable changes introduced on (a) Northern Rail and (b) Govia Thameslink Railway from 20 May 2018.

Joseph Johnson: The current focus of the Secretary of State is on providing the passengers affected with the level of compensation that they deserve and to learn the lessons identified by the independent review, which is due to report by December this year.

Northern Rail Franchise and TransPennine Express Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which body had ultimate decision-making responsibility for awarding the (a) Northern and (b) TransPennine Express rail franchises in 2015.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport procured and awarded the franchises on behalf of the Secretary of State, in line with the duties and powers set out in the 1993 Railways Act (as amended), taking account of other relevant UK and EU legislation and with Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and HM Treasury procurement regulations and practices.

Electric Vehicles: Sales

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to encourage the purchase of electric and hybrid vans.

Jesse Norman: We want all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040, and we will end the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040. Our Road to Zero strategy sets out a clear pathway to zero emissions, to give clarity and certainty to industry and consumers. By 2030, we want up to 40% of new vans sold to be ultra low emission. We are continuing to offer the Plug-in Van Grant (PiVG) until at least 2020, with current grant rates maintained until at least October 2018. The PiVG offers 20% off the price of a qualifying vehicles up to a maximum of £8,000. Up to £20,000 per van is available for the first 200 vans over 3.5t and HGVs. The strategy sets out commitments to expand charging infrastructure significantly in order to support the roll out of electric vehicles, including consulting on proposals for chargepoints to be installed with all newly built homes in England, where appropriate. We also want all new lampposts to include charging infrastructure. Van owners can also benefit from grant schemes to assist with the cost of installing chargepoints in the home and workplace. We will continue to ensure the tax system incentivises the purchase of the cleanest vehicles, in particular zero emission vehicles. We have launched a consultation on a new Vehicle Excise Duty approach for vans to ensure this system incentivises the cleanest options. In addition, zero emission vans only pay a small proportion of the van benefit charge, and electric vans are not subject to van fuel benefit charge.

Railways: Electrification

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to complete the electrification of the mainline between Cardiff and London.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 19 July 2018



Network Rail is working with train operating companies to agree the access needed to deliver electrification to Cardiff as quickly as possible in 2019 while keeping the future disruption to passengers to a minimum.

Railways: Electrification

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reasons are for the delay to the electrification of the mainline between Cardiff and London; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 19 July 2018



Network Rail is working with train operating companies to agree the access needed to deliver electrification to Cardiff as quickly as possible in 2019 while keeping the future disruption to passengers to a minimum.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much rail track in Wales has been electrified since 2010.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 19 July 2018



When electrification to Cardiff is complete approximately 32 geographic miles and 110 track miles will be electrified. This compares to just 10 geographic miles completed in the 13 years of the previous Labour administration across the whole of England and Wales.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Service Industries: Working Hours

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the prevalence of short-notice shift cancellation in the (a) retail and (b) hospitality sectors whereby employees arrive at work and are told they are not needed or are sent home before the end of their shift.

Richard Harrington: The Government remains committed to ensuring that flexibility is genuinely a mutually beneficial arrangement between employer and worker. We recognise the real issues that “one-sided flexibility”, which includes practices such as short-notice shift cancellations, can cause for working people and their families. In the Government’s response to the Review of Modern Working Practices (published February 2018), we asked the Low Pay Commission to assess the nature and extent of “one-sided flexibility”. This assessment will form part of the Low Pay Commission’s October 2018 report and the Government will take a decision on next steps following receipt of their recommendations.

Brexit

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 44 of the White Paper, The future relationship between the UK and the EU, Cm 9593, what (a) government and (b) regulatory activities will be included in the programme of risk-based market surveillance.

Richard Harrington: The Government takes the issue of consumer product safety seriously and is committed to ensuring that only safe products are placed on the UK market now and in the future. This includes a robust programme of risk-based market surveillance. This market surveillance programme will continue to include the ability to intercept products as they enter the UK, check products already on the market, and gather information through a variety of intelligence sources.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Turkey: Elections

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations were made to the Turkish Government on BBC reports that four HDP members were shot and killed in Suruc during an election campaign visit by AKP deputy Ibrahim Halil Yıldız on 14 June 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are aware of the reports of violence in Suruc. In the lead up to the election we consistently raised with Turkish authorities our hopes for a peaceful and transparent election process.

Department of Health and Social Care

Diabetes

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential of (a) outcome-based payment models and (b) risk sharing partnerships with industry to improve access to diabetes technology to support (i) monitoring, (ii) self-management and (iii) prevention.

Steve Brine: When it comes to determining a fair reimbursement price for new products similar to those already listed in the Drugs Tariff, NHS Prescription Services (part of the NHS Business Service Authority) will aim to ensure that the agreed price is broadly in line with comparable products. The Department and NHS Prescription Services have a duty to ensure that the National Health Service gets value for money. Therefore, applicants requesting a listing for new products or treatment regimens for which there are no listed comparators should provide satisfactory evidence of improved outcomes/savings/patient benefits commensurate with the requested price. Before any medical device is listed in the Tariff, NHS Prescription Services will negotiate a fair reimbursement with the applicant.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on (a) the practices in place to allow medical professionals to identify fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in (i) newborn and (ii) young children and (b) how those cases are recorded.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not held centrally. As part of the Maternity Transformation Programme, Public Health England is leading work to provide prevention-focused leadership to support a reduction in the proportion of women drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Midwives and health visitors also have a role in providing clear, consistent advice and early identification and support.

Olanzapine and Quetiapine

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the supply of (a) olanzapine and (b) quetiapine meets demand for those drugs.

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations his Department has made to manufacturers of (a) olanzapine and (b) quetiapine on the supply of those drugs since 2017.

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with which manufacturers of (a) olanzapine and (b) quetiapine his Department has had discussions since 2017.

Steve Brine: Departmental officials are aware that there were some short term supply issues which affected the availability of olanzapine and quetiapine tablets in May/June 2017. A major generic supplier of olanzapine tablets experienced some short term manufacturing issues which consequently meant other suppliers experienced an increase in demand at short notice, which they could not readily meet. However, the manufacturing issues were resolved quickly and the overall supply of olanzapine tablets improved within a few weeks. In terms of quetiapine supply issues, this was caused by a major generic supplier, with large market shares of quetiapine tablets, discontinuing this product range without notifying the Department. This led to significant market disruption as other suppliers experienced a large increase in demand at short notice. However, suppliers were able to bring in additional supplies to cope with the extra demand and supplies improved by July 2017. During this period, Departmental officials were in regular contact with all United Kingdom licensed suppliers of both quetiapine and olanzapine and worked closely with them to discuss their supply position and to ensure sufficient suppliers remained available to meet UK requirements. We are not aware of any current supply issues affecting olanzapine and quetiapine and several suppliers have confirmed that supplies are readily available.

Olanzapine and Quetiapine

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations his Department has received on the extent to which (a) olanzapine and (b) quetiapine have not been prescribed on account of limitations on the availability of those drugs over the last three years; and what information his Department holds on the number of people who were prescribed (a) olanzapine and (b) quetiapine but were not able to receive those drugs due to limited availability in (i) 2016, (ii) 2017 and (iii) 2018 to date.

Steve Brine: A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified one item of correspondence received in 2017 about the availability of olanzapine and quetiapine. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only. We are not aware of any further representations. We do not hold any information on items prescribed but not dispensed.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to chapter 1 paragraph 84 of the White Paper, The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, Cm9593, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of continued use of the European Health Insurance Card.

Stephen Barclay: The Department has not made any formal assessment of the cost to the public purse of the continued use of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). We have been clear that we want all current and future United Kingdom nationals to continue to benefit from EHIC rights (and vice versa European Union nationals in the UK). The figures for financial years 2012/13 to 2016/17 (rounded to the nearest pound) are attached. They include the claims covering Article 93 which covers the combined claims for healthcare costs relating to temporary visitors (via European Health Insurance Cards), workers temporarily posted abroad by their employer, referrals for treatment in other European Economic Area countries, or equivalent claims calculated on a formula basis under bilateral arrangements. Member State claims against the UK are in local currency so totals are significantly affected by the exchange rate at the time of payment and can mean a difference of millions of pounds. Member States can submit claims up to 18 months in arrears so claims for any 12 month period do not necessarily reflect treatment provided in that period.



PQ163581 attached document
(Excel SpreadSheet, 27.82 KB)

Health Services: Weather

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many heat-related illnesses have been treated in Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust due to the recent warm weather.

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of heat-related illnesses treated in Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as a result of recent warm weather.

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of heat-related illnesses treated in East Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust as a result of recent warm weather.

Steve Brine: Data on treating heat-related illnesses are not available in the format requested and thus Public Health England is not able to make any estimates of the treatment of heat-related illnesses at trust level.

Fracking: Health Hazards

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has commissioned a review of research relating to the health implications of shale gas extraction by any organisation since the 2015 general election.

Steve Brine: Public Health England continues to review the evidence on the potential public health impacts of emissions associated with shale gas extraction and has not currently identified any significant evidence that would make it change its views stated in its 2014 Review.

Orkambi

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care what plans he has to ensure his Department continues to engage and meet with NHS England and Vertex to discuss access to Orkambi.

Steve Brine: NHS England has been in intensive discussions with Vertex to encourage it to price Orkambi at a level that would allow NHS England to fund its use without adversely impacting other patients. I and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Lord O’Shaughnessy) have been keeping an extremely close eye on these discussions and wrote to Vertex in April, urging it to commit to pricing that is responsible and proportionate. I also re-iterated this message in the adjournment debate on 17 July, Official report, columns 383-4.

Orkambi

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether ensuring access to Orkambi for people with cystic fibrosis is a priority for his Department.

Steve Brine: It is a key commitment of this Government to ensure that people with comparatively rarer conditions, like cystic fibrosis, get the same quality, safety and efficacy in medicines as those who have more common conditions. However, it is also necessary that Vertex prices Orkambi fairly and responsibly. That is why we must go through the right process with Vertex and NHS England, not the Government, working together to secure the best outcome for patients. NHS England has been in intensive discussions with Vertex to encourage it to price Orkambi at a level that would allow NHS England to fund its use without adversely impacting other patients. I and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Lord O’Shaughnessy) have been keeping an extremely close eye on these discussions and wrote to Vertex in April, urging it to commit to pricing that is responsible and proportionate. I also re-iterated this message in the adjournment debate on 17 July, Official report, columns 383-4.

Orkambi

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a date has been set for the next meeting between NHS England and Vertex to discuss access to the drug Orkambi.

Steve Brine: We are informed by NHS England that at the last meeting on 4 July, it was agreed that both parties would take time to reflect before a further meeting was arranged. NHS England has subsequently made a substantially increased proposal to Vertex and has offered to meet to discuss and clarify any aspects as required by the company.

Orkambi

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's policy is on Vertex (a) waiving its confidentiality clause on the negotiations around NHS access to the drug Orkambi and (b) disclosing details of its offer to NHS England.

Steve Brine: It is not in the Department’s gift to impose any requirement upon Vertex to waive its confidentiality clause or to disclose details of any offer in the negotiations around National Health Service access to the drug Orkambi. However, Ministers at the department have publicly urged Vertex to consider the offer made by NHS England and to waive confidentiality so that we can all see, in the interests of transparency, the kind of prices it is seeking to charge the NHS.

Department for Education

Alternative Education: Standards

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department is making on (a) improving and (b) strengthening the quality of (i) teachers and (ii) leaders in alternative provision; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Improving teacher quality is key to improving educational outcomes for pupils wherever they are in the country and within all forms of provision, including alternative provision (AP). High-quality teachers are the single most important factor determining how well pupils achieve in all schools. On 16 March, the Government published ‘Creating Opportunity for All: Our Vision for Alternative Provision’. This sets out the Government’s vision to ensure that all AP settings provide high quality education, including by ensuring that staff within AP providers can access relevant opportunities for continuous professional development.

Alternative Education

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to publish the outcome of the alternative provision strand of the Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications for funding were received for the alternative provision strand of his Department’s Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund;  and how many of those applications have been approved.

Nick Gibb: On 14 June 2018, the Department informed all those invited to tender that there would be a delay in notifying potential suppliers whether they would be invited to contract for the second round of the Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund. The Department will publish the outcomes of this procurement in due course.

Alternative Education: Standards

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made on building an evidence base for improving outcomes for children in alternative provision under his Department’s Alternative Provision Innovation Fund since September 2017 .

Nick Gibb: In March 2018, the Department launched an alternative provision (AP) Innovation Fund of £4 million focused on developing effective practice for improving outcomes for children who attend AP. The Fund will run from 2018 until 2020. The Department is currently assessing bids and will publicly announce the outcomes of the grant application process in due course. The successful bids will be independently evaluated, which will inform our evidence base on effective practice in AP.

Pupil Exclusions

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the level of school exclusions; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Government has launched an externally led review of exclusions practice, led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review will consider how schools use exclusion overall and how this impacts their pupils, and in particular, why some groups of pupils are more likely to be excluded from school. It will also consider practice in relation to behaviour management and alternative interventions schools take in place of exclusion. Good progress has been made gathering evidence, including through a call for evidence which received a significant response from parents. The review will aim to report by the end of the year. The full terms of reference for the review can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusions-review-terms-of-reference.

Pupil Exclusions

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to tackle the increase in off-rolling before examinations; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: A pupil’s name can only lawfully be deleted from the admission register on the grounds prescribed in regulation 8 of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 as amended. Schools can only exclude pupils, either permanently or for a fixed period, for disciplinary reasons. The Department supports schools in using exclusion where this is warranted. Permanent exclusion should only be used as a last resort, in response to a serious breach or persistent breaches of the school's behaviour policy and where allowing the pupil to remain in school would seriously harm the education or welfare of the pupil or others in the school. Following media coverage of inappropriate off-rolling last summer, the Department wrote to all secondary schools, reminding them of the rules surrounding exclusion. Ofsted recently issued guidance to inspectors, reminding them to be alert to this matter. The guidance makes clear that instances of off-rolling should be discussed with school leaders during the inspection, and should inform the evaluation of evidence for the effectiveness of leadership and management, and outcomes for pupils.

Alternative Education: Standards

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to (a) improve the quality of independent alternative provision and (b) ensure that unsafe alternative providers (i) close and (ii) are not commissioned by schools to provide services.

Nick Gibb: On 16 March, the Government published ‘Creating Opportunity for All: Our Vision for Alternative Provision’: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision. This sets out the Government’s vision to ensure that all Alternative Provision (AP) settings provide high quality education.If an AP provider is registered as an independent school it is subject to the regulatory regime for independent schools and must meet the independent school standards prescribed in regulations. If it does not do so, there is a process set out in the Education and Skills Act 2008 designed to ensure that such schools either improve or can be removed from the register of independent schools, which obliges them to close.A consultation by the Department on regulation of independent schools, covering proposed guidance on the standards and an enforcement policy, concluded on 5 June and responses are still being considered.In all cases, the local authority or school acting as the commissioner should assure themselves that the setting is registered where appropriate and that provision is delivered by high quality staff with suitable training, experience and safeguarding checks.The Government will look closely at any relevant findings gathered and produced by the Education Select Committee as part of its inquiry into Alternative Provision.

ICT and STEM Subjects: Higher Education

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of pupils taking up STEM and ICT higher education courses in the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service publishes data on the number of applicants accepted to full-time undergraduate courses at UK higher education providers by subject group.The number of UK domiciled 18 and 19 year olds accepted to full-time undergraduate courses in each science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subject group is shown in the attached Table 1. It shows that total acceptances to STEM subjects for UK 18 and 19 year olds had increased by 24% between 2012 and 2017. This compares to an increase of 14% for all subjects over the same period.



18_and_19_year_old_acceptances_by_STEM_subject
(PDF Document, 105.95 KB)

Teachers: Lewisham

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in the London Borough of Lewisham have still been in teaching after (a) three, (b) four and (c) five years in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: Information on the retention of teachers in all state funded schools in England for the years up to November 2017 is available in Table 8 of the publication, ‘School Workforce in England’, November 2017 available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2017.This publication also shows the number of teachers working in each local authority of England. This is available in the excel link labelled regional, local authority and school level information.There are differences on teacher recruitment and retention at a sub-national level and the Department has been working to understand this better. Information at local authority or regional level comparable to the national figures for 2016 and 2017 is not available. Information is available, however, on the number of qualified teachers entering and leaving the profession by region for the years 2010 to 2015. It is published as part of the statistical release, ‘Local analysis of Teacher Workforce: 2010 to 2015’. Tables 2.1a (secondary) and 2.1b (primary) show the wastage rates, by region in state funded schools for the years 2011 to 2015. Information for entrants is shown in Table 2.3a (secondary) and Table 2.3b (primary) of this publication. Comparable information at local authority level is not available.This publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-analysis-of-teacher-workforce-2010-to-2015.

Pre-school Education

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many maintained nursery schools there are in (a) London and (b) England.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many maintained nursery schools there were in (a) London and (b) England in (i) 2000, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2017.

Nadhim Zahawi: These figures are published in the local authority tables of the annual statistical release ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’. This is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers for 2010 onwards. For 2000, please consult the national archives website at the following link: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130321033119/http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00193434/schools-in-england-2000.

Pre-school Education: Per Capita Costs

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding per child in maintained nursery schools.

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the level of free childcare funding per two-year-old in maintained nursery schools has risen in line with inflation.

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department provides support for maintained nurseries to formulate their three-year budgets beyond 2020.

Nadhim Zahawi: We are providing supplementary funding of around £60 million a year to enable local authorities to protect maintained nursery school (MNS) funding until 2019-20. It is for local authorities to set the rates paid to maintained nursery schools. This supplementary funding provides MNS with stability whilst we develop a long-term solution for them. An important part of this will be understanding the value for money that they offer, and new research will report on this later in the year.MNS also benefit from our increased hourly rates paid to local authorities to deliver the 15 hour free entitlement for disadvantaged two-year-olds. From April 2017, all local authorities saw 7% increases in their funding rates for two-year-olds.Future funding decisions after 2019-20 will be set at the next spending review.

Children: Day Care

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing eligibility for 30-hours free childcare annually; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: We have commissioned an independent evaluation of the first year of 30 hours delivery, which will be published this summer. We will use the evidence from this evaluation and the learnings from the first year of delivery to inform the future eligibility and delivery of 30 hours.

Ministry of Justice

Sexual Offences: Internet

Mrs Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2018 to Question 155217, if he will place details of the consultation with victims referred to in the Library.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 04 July 2018



The offence at Section 33 of the Criminal Justice Act 2015 was introduced after engagement with interested persons, including victims and key stakeholders. This was swiftly conducted and a formal document was not produced or published. Feedback was used to inform the policy making process.

Trials: Offences against Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary for Justice, what the average waiting time was from plea and trial preparation hearing to the first day of trial for sexual offences against children for each Crown Court in England and Wales in the last two years.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary for Justice, what the average waiting time was from plea and trial preparation hearing to the first day of trial for sexual offences against children for each Crown Court in Manchester in the last two years.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 20 July 2018



HMCTS does not hold data on the average waiting time from plea and trial preparation hearing (PTPH) to the first day of trial at Crown Court. Published statistics on timeliness of criminal proceedings set out the average number of days taken from sending to the Crown Court to main hearing in the Crown Court.  The table attached provides the average number of days taken from sending to the Crown Court to main hearing for Crown Court Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) offences in England and Wales for 2016 and 2017. CSA offences include both contact cases and image cases.This table contains information for each Crown Court centre in England and Wales, including Manchester’s Crown Court centres (Crown Square and Minshull Street)



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 125.63 KB)

Prisons: Construction

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his speech delivered on 10 July 2018 to the Centre for Social Justice, what the timetable is for the additional 10,000 prison places to be completed; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of those additional places on prison officer to offender ratios.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice remains committed to previously announced plans, subject to planning approvals, value for money and affordability, to build six category C modern prisons. We intend to build the first prison at Wellingborough (Northamptonshire) through public capital, with construction work expected to begin late 2018 to early 2019 with completion projected for early 2021. We will continue work to demolish buildings at the former HMP/YOI Glen Parva and intend to deliver this second prison through private finance. We will also build a further four prisons on land adjacent to HMP Full Sutton (East Yorkshire), Port Talbot (Neath), HMP/YOI Hindley (Greater Manchester) and HMP/YOI Rochester (Kent) and we will provide more detail about the delivery of these once we have undertaken the relevant assessments in regard to population projections, planning approvals, value for money and affordability tests. Alongside the new prisons, a new houseblock at HMP Stocken, (Rutland) which will create 206 modern prison places. Construction of the houseblock started in February 2017 and is expected to begin taking prisoners in December 2018.The same considerations in assessing staffing levels will be applied to the new prisons as to those in the existing estate. HM Prison and Probation Service will not take part in the prison competition but will provide a ‘public sector benchmark’ against which potential operators’ bids can be assessed and will take on the provider role if bids do not meet quality or value for money thresholds.

Prisons: Digital Technology

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his speech of 10 July 2018 to the Centre for Social Justice, in which parts of the prison estate the digital categorisation tool has been trialed; and what impact assessment findings have been made from that trial.

Rory Stewart: We have been conducting a trial of the prototype version of the digital categorisation tool at HMP Cardiff and HMP Swansea. Offenders have continued to be categorised under the existing process while the tool is run in parallel to test its impact. We will assess the differences in categorisation once the trials are complete, and continue to develop and test the digital tool in the coming months.

Prisons: Drugs

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his speech of 10 July 2018 to the Centre for Social Justice, which 10 prisons the Drug Taskforce is being deployed for; and what (a) law enforcement and (b) healthcare agencies are planned to be involved in that work.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his speech of 10 July 2018 to the Centre for Social Justice, if his Department will publish its findings on the ten prisons in which the Drug Taskforce will be implemented.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his speech of 10 July 2018 to the Centre for Social Justice, who the members of the Drugs Taskforce will be.

Rory Stewart: As the Secretary of State indicated in his speech, we have formed a Drugs Taskforce working with law enforcement and health partners across government to restrict supply, reduce demand and build recovery in prisons. The Taskforce is providing support across the estate but is focused on the prisons with the worst drug problems. Further details, including the 10 prisons with which the Taskforce is undertaking focussed work, will be announced in due course.

Prison Officers: Training

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his speech of 10 July 2018 to the Centre for Social Justice, how much his Department is investing into training for prison staff on preserving evidence.

Rory Stewart: We are developing a new training package for prison staff to improve the preservation of evidence following a crime in prison. This will help make sure the police and CPS have access to the best information, in good time, to support investigations; make charging decisions and prosecute cases successfully. The cost of developing and delivering this new training package is being met from within HMPPS’ existing budgets. By giving prison staff the right tools to deal with crime effectively we can make staff and prisoners safer - as well as sending a message to offenders that rehabilitation is the only endeavour worth pursuing in prison.

Coroners

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) Jewish and (b) Muslim deaths have been processed in each coroner area in the last 12 months.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many non-invasive autopsies have been (a) requested and (b) provided in each coroner area in the last 12 months.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions the three-day target for the release of bodies after initial report has not been met in each coroner area in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and which coroner areas offer an out-of-hours service for cases other than homicide, mass fatalities and organ or tissue donation.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice does not have operational responsibility for coroner services and therefore only holds information that it has decided to collect from coroners on the basis that it would be useful in policy making. We collect annual data on deaths reported to coroners, including inquests and post-mortem examinations held. The figures for the number of post mortems held in 2017 which involved less invasive techniques are available at:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/706047/coroners-statistics-2017-csvs.zip.  The Ministry of Justice does not currently collect from coroners information on the number of less invasive post-mortem examinations which have been requested, Jewish or Muslim deaths investigated by coroners, and release of bodies or out of hours services.

Capita

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) objectives and (b) milestones his Department set relating to the decision to tender all justice related interpretation services to Capita Translation and Interpreting between 2012 and 2016; and what assessment he has made of the (a) value for money for the public purse, (b) effect on the conduct of criminal trials and (c) extent to which those (i) objectives and (ii) milestones were met.

Rory Stewart: The sourcing strategy for language services, which resulted in the award of a contract to Applied Language Solutions in August 2011 (subsequently acquired by Capita Translation and Interpreting (CTI)) contained several high-level objectives, namely to:Improve the quality and consistency of service standards;Improve value for money; andImprove contract monitoring arrangements. Milestones were set by the Ministry of Justice relating to relevant stages of the sourcing and procurement process, namely:Issue of Pre-Qualification Questionnaire;Supplier Conference;Invitation to Participate in Dialogue;Invitation to Submit Outline Solution;Invitation to Submit Detailed Solution;Invitation to Submit Final Tender;Selection of Preferred Bidders; andContract Award. These objectives and milestones were met, leading to contract award in August 2011. It has previously been estimated that the contract enabled the Ministry to spend £48m less than it would otherwise have spent under legacy arrangements which were regarded as costly and inefficient. CTI performance initially fell short of contractual requirements and measures were implemented to address root causes which delivered improvements and increased fulfilment rates. These are set out within the published Criminal Court Statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics ). Ineffective trial rates attributed to interpreter availability have been consistently low over the contracted period. Published statistics for ineffective trial rates show that a lack of interpreter was the reason for 0.4% of trials being relisted in the magistrates' court in 2012 reducing to 0.3% in 2014, and 0.1% in the Crown Court throughout the course of the contract. Robust contract monitoring and management arrangements were in place throughout the life of the CTI contract, including performance reporting and provision of comprehensive management information, monthly contract management meetings, and application of an improved performance management (key performance indicators and service credits) regime.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will set a target for the maximum time limit for people to wait for a personal independence payments appeal to be heard.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 20 July 2018



The Ministry of Justice is not planning to set a target for the maximum time limit for people to wait for a Personal Independence Payment appeal to be heard. This is because waiting times fluctuate geographically owing to a number of factors including venue capacity, the volumes of benefit decisions made locally, the complexity of the case and the availability of panel members. Furthermore, the listing of appeals, including consideration of whether a hearing should be expedited, is a function of the Tribunal’s judiciary. We are however working on measures to improve the capacity and performance of the Tribunal, including the appointment of additional judges and panel members.

Dangerous Dogs: Lancashire

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how may prosecutions relating to attacks by dogs on private property have been made in Lancashire since the introduction of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice does not collect this data as it is not possible to identify between offences that have taken place on private or public land.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library copies of the (a) business case and (b) impact assessment conducted on the affordable housing strategic partnerships agreed by Homes England  announced on 3 July 2018.

James Brokenshire: The Government has secured eight Strategic Partnerships between Homes England and housing associations, which will use £587.7 million of funding from the £9 billion Affordable Homes Programme to deliver an additional 14,280 affordable housing starts by March 2022.This is a new way of working with housing associations and will accelerate the building of affordable homes, however it is using programme funding that has been announced previously. Therefore, the Department did not carry out a new impact assessment. The Department does not publish business cases for individual programmes.The Affordable Homes Programme Budget was increased to £9 billion at Autumn Statement 2017. The fiscal impact of this increase on public finances was included as part of the OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook November 2017, which can be found at: http://obr.uk/efo/economic-fiscal-outlook-november-2017/

Buildings: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy  on preventing building fires started as a result of faulty electrical appliances.

James Brokenshire: We are working closely across government on all aspects of building safety.Preventing fires as a result of faulty electrical appliances is the responsibility of the Office for Product Safety and Standards, based in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government officials continue to work with the Office on a range of issues.

Housing Associations: Right to Buy Scheme

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the projected public expenditure on the right to buy for housing association tenants is in each of the next five years.

James Brokenshire: As we announced at the Autumn Budget, the Government is funding a large scale £200 million regional pilot of the Voluntary Right to Buy scheme in the Midlands, which will launch this summer. The funding will be £50 million in 2018/19 and £150 million in 2019/20. The pilot will test key aspects of the voluntary agreement with housing associations not tested in the initial small-scale pilot, including the portable discount and one for one replacement.

Housing: Surveys

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the English Housing Survey 2016-2017 microdata will be published on the UK Data Service website.

James Brokenshire: The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government makes English Housing Survey data publicly available via the UK Data Service.The 2016-17 End User Licence (EUL) Stock data is now available for download. The EUL Household data will be available in August.The Special Licence data, which includes more detailed variables and which data users need to apply to use, will be available in the Autumn.The Secure Data Service data, which includes postcode level information, and which data users have to undergo specialist training to access, will also be available in the Autumn.

Housing: Surveys

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to help reduce the gap between English Housing Survey data being collected and the results being published.

James Brokenshire: The complexity of the English Housing Survey and the requirement that data meet rigorous National Statistics standards means that there is a gap between data collection and publication. We have recently taken steps to reduce this gap, resulting in the publication of the 2016-17 headline report in January 2018. In previous years, the headline report has been published in February or March.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households affected by the Grenfell Tower fire require rehousing; and how many of those households are in (a) emergency, (b) temporary and (c) permanent accommodation.

James Brokenshire: As of 16 July 2018, the latest data from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea shows that 204 households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk require rehousing. Of this number, 40 households are living in hotels, 19 in serviced apartments and 3 with friends and family. 46 households are currently living in temporary accommodation, and 96 households have moved into a permanent home.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households in (a) Barandon Walk, (b) Testerton Walk, (c) Hurstway Walk, (d) Treadgold House and (e) Bramley House require rehousing as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire; and how many of those households have been rehoused in (i) emergency accommodation, (ii) temporary accommodation and (iii) permanent accommodation.

James Brokenshire: Council tenants from Barandon Walk, Testerton Walk, Hurstway Walk, Treadgold House and Bramley House who do not feel able to remain in their homes are eligible to be permanently rehoused under the Wider Grenfell Rehousing Policy.As of 16 July 2018, 11 of these households are living in hotels, 3 are living in serviced apartments and 74 households are currently living in temporary accommodation; some of these households are waiting to be permanently rehoused, while others are considering whether they feel able to return to their homes on the Estate. 2 households have moved to new permanent accommodation. In order to prevent individual households being made identifiable, I am unable to provide a breakdown of the location of these households based on which part of the Estate they originally lived in.

Ministry of Defence

Military Bases

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the estimated date of disposal has changed for any of the disposal sites identified in his Department's Better Defence Estate Strategy of November 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As stated in the announcement in 2016, the plans laid out are subject to revision as work continues. Given the scale of the strategy and the fact that it will be delivered over 25 years, plans continue to be refined throughout the life of the programme to best support operational capability. During the course of the programme, detailed assessment studies, work with local authorities and the requirement to obtain optimum disposal receipts for the taxpayer will inevitably result in changes to the initial plan. As a requirement for a change becomes apparent they are announced in line with established protocols.

EU Defence Policy

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect the EU policy of strategic autonomy on the future availability of advanced weapon systems to the UK's armed forces.

Stuart Andrew: The EU's policy of strategic autonomy entails the ability to act and cooperate with international and regional partners wherever possible, while being able to operate autonomously when and where necessary. We believe an open and inclusive approach to European capability development is in our mutual strategic security interests, and will help strengthen our Armed Forces and our defence industries.

Defence: Procurement

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the UK armed forces have the essential equipment required once the UK leaves the EU.

Stuart Andrew: The UK routinely works with our allies and partners on the development of capability and much of this already takes place outside of an EU framework. The Government is currently undertaking the modernising defence programme to make sure our Armed Forces have what they need to meet the threats that we face now and in the future.

Capita

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has received assurances from Capita that firefighters employed by them after the privatisation of the Defence Fire and Rescue Service will remain on comparable pay structures to those used by regional fire authorities.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment Regulations) 2014 will apply to members of the Defence Fire and Rescue Service under any future contractual arrangements, including existing pay structures.

Defence Fire and Rescue Service

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what resources were made available by his Department to the in-house team bidding to continue operating the Defence Fire and Rescue Service during the recent outsourcing process.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As part of the Defence Fire and Rescue Project the Ministry of Defence developed an 'in-house' value for money Benchmark. This was developed by an independent team made up of Civil Service personnel and fire officers who had access to independent consultancy support; this team was separate from the Defence Fire and Rescue Project Team. This work was conducted with the same project requirement as the outsourcing bids and with access to the same information.

Capita

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contingency plans are in place to ensure continuity of Defence Fire and Rescue services in the event that Capita is no longer a viable entity.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 June 2018 to Question 155899 to the hon. Member for Stoke on Trent (Central) (Mr Snell).



155899 - WQnA extract on Capita
(Word Document, 26.1 KB)

Capita

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Serco is appealing the contract award for the outsourcing of the Defence Fire and Rescue Service to Capita; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The contract award has been suspended until a legal challenge to the procurement is resolved.

Defence Fire and Rescue Service

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken at each establishment covered by the Defence Fire and Rescue Service to account for any changes of provision by that service under the new contract; and what site-based risk assessments have been undertaken in connection with any such changes.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Any proposal to change the approach to fire risk management at a site following contract award will be conducted through an Integrated Fire Risk Management Plan conducted in collaboration with the Head of Establishment. Changes will not be implemented until they have been agreed at the appropriate level.

Capita

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the contract awarded to Capita for the provision of Defence Fire and Rescue Services includes ongoing maintenance and testing of fire extinguishers.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Fire Extinguisher testing and maintenance is not within scope of the Defence Fire and Rescue Project contract, it is already done outside of it.

Military Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of the combat aircraft concept model he unveiled at Farnborough International Air show in July 2018.

Gavin Williamson: Holding answer received on 19 July 2018



There was no cost to the public purse for the Tempest concept model unveiled at the Farnborough International Airshow.

Military Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 31, paragraph 51 of the Combat Air Strategy, published in July 2018, when his Department plans to launch a Combat Air Skills Index.

Gavin Williamson: Holding answer received on 19 July 2018



We are consulting with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as well as industry partners and subject matter experts on the development of a Combat Air Skills Index which will form an important element of the acquisition programme. As stated in the strategy, I will provide an annual update to Parliament on progress in implementation.

Military Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 31, paragraph 54 of the Combat Air Strategy, when he plans to publish the National Value Framework.

Gavin Williamson: Holding answer received on 19 July 2018



The National Value Framework is already outlined in Chapter 4 of the Combat Air Strategy.

Military Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 19, paragraph 27 of the Combat Air Strategy what the criteria will be for assessing the performance of Team Tempest.

Gavin Williamson: Holding answer received on 19 July 2018



Chapters 2 and 5 of the Combat Air Strategy outline the expected behaviours and performance of Team Tempest. These, along with the technical outcomes delivered, will be used to inform the acquisition programme.

Military Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 19, paragraph 27 of the Combat Air Strategy, whether the name Tempest will be given to the next UK-developed combat aircraft.

Gavin Williamson: Holding answer received on 19 July 2018



Tempest is the name given to the capability concept unveiled on 16 July 2018 at the Farnborough International Air Show. The Combat Air Strategy makes clear that the UK intends to take a measured and collaborative approach to delivery of our future capability. The name of the next UK developed combat aircraft will be decided as part of the acquisition and partnering timeline set out in the Strategy.

Department for Work and Pensions

Child Tax Credit: Students

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of students receiving child tax credits and who will be transferred to universal credit this year in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK; and what assessment she has made of changes in the level of funding for those students.

Alok Sharma: We have made no such estimate. Claimants currently only migrate from existing benefits to Universal Credit following a relevant change of circumstance that would previously have prompted a new claim to another existing benefit. Therefore it is not possible to estimate with accuracy when such changes may occur. We will start to move legacy benefit claimants to Universal Credit as part of our Managed Migration process from July 2019. At this point, claimants will receive transitional protection if their overall Universal Credit entitlement would be less than under the old system, provided that their circumstances remain the same.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Smithills Estate

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department is giving to the Woodland Trust to assist them in the recovery work on the Smithhills Estate.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I visited Smithills earlier this year where I planted one of the first trees with the Woodland Trust.   Defra officials have been informed of the damage to Smithills, which is one of the many sites that together will form the Northern Forest.

Wildlife: Trade

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to transpose the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking into UK law.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has plans to maintain engagement with the EU-Trade in Wildlife Information Exchange after the UK has left the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: As a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in our own right, after we leave the EU the UK will continue working to ensure that no species becomes extinct as a result of unsustainable trade. The UK is committed to continuing to play an active role internationally and we will honour our obligations.   We will work to develop our own innovative solutions to protect and enhance our environment, consistent with our domestic priorities and international commitments.   The UK continues to show global leadership in tackling the illegal wildlife trade and has committed £26 million to combat it. We hosted the London Conference in 2014 and are bringing global leaders back to London in October to make sure illegal wildlife trade stays at the top of the political agenda.

Trapping: EU Law

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to transpose the EU ban on leg-hold traps into UK law when the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We plan to lay the Leghold Trap and Pelt Imports (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 before Parliament to come into force on 29 March 2019.   This legislation will ensure that leghold traps will continue to be prohibited. We will continue to ban the introduction into the UK of pelts and manufactured goods incorporating such pelts of certain wild animal species, unless the pelts originate from an approved country (and are accompanied by a certificate of origin issued by exporting and re-exporting competent authorities).   Defra is working with the devolved administrations to ensure a smooth and consistent transition for the whole of the UK.

Home Office

Prostitution

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government provides to women wanting to exit prostitution.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is committed to tackling the harm and exploitation that can be associated with prostitution, and believes that people who want to leave prostitution should be given every opportunity to find routes out.Protecting those involved in prostitution is a strand of our wider work to eradicate violence against women and girls, and we regularly meet with charities, welfare organisations and academics to discuss current issues related to prostitution.The Government has provided over £2m to organisations supporting those involved in prostitution, including £650,000 from the Violence Against Women and Girls Service Transformation Fund to Merseyside PCC, to provide a victim-focused service for those who are victims, or at risk of sexual or domestic violence and abuse, exploitation or human trafficking.As set out in the response to the Home Affairs Select Committee, the Government recognises the need for research into the nature and prevalence of prostitution in England and Wales. The Home Office has therefore provided £150,000 to fund this research, which is being carried out by the University of Bristol, and will help to inform future policy.

Prostitution

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle organised sexual exploitation.

Victoria Atkins: The Government’s focus remains on protecting those selling sex from harm and enabling the police to target those who exploit vulnerable people involved in prostitution. To this end, the Government has provided over £2m to organisations supporting those involved in prostitution and sex work, including £650,000 from the Violence Against Women and Girls Service Transformation Fund to Merseyside PCC, to provide a victim-focused service for sex workers who are victims, or at risk of sexual or domestic violence and abuse, exploitation or human trafficking.The Government recognises the need for research on the nature and prevalence of prostitution before we consider any changes to underlying legislation and policy and have committed £150,000 to fund a research project being undertaken by the University of Bristol.To support the police to tackle organised sex-trafficking and other forms of modern slavery, the Government has provided £8.5m of additional funding to the police in England and Wales to provide bespoke and dedicated modern slavery capabilities. This police activity is supported at a national level by the National Crime Agency who lead multiagency operations to target key thematic slavery and trafficking threats including organised sexual exploitation.

Human Trafficking

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many confirmed victims of human trafficking have been subsequently re-trafficked after they have left the National Referral Mechanism.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is committed to supporting potential victims of modern slavery to rebuild their lives.There are a number of practical reasons why the Government is unable to provide an accurate figure for the number of confirmed victims who have been re-trafficked after leaving the National Referral Mechanism. For example, some victims may not wish to maintain contact when they leave the National Referral Mechanism.We are working with the National Crime Agency to improve our ability to identify potential re-trafficking cases. Our reforms to introduce a new digital referral process and to provide access to ‘drop-in’ services for 6 months after confirmed victims have left Government-funded support will also improve our ability to identify re-trafficking for this cohort of victims.

Domestic Violence

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his next steps in bringing forward a draft Domestic Abuse Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Modern Slavery Strategy and Implementation Group

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2018 to Question 154594, whether the next meeting of the Modern Slavery Strategy and Implementation Group has been arranged; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The Modern Slavery Strategy and Implementation Group (MSSIG), brings together key stakeholders including civil society to support the implementation of the Government’s modern slavery strategy.The group meets quarterly. The last meeting took place on 24 October 2017. Unfortunately, the meeting scheduled for May 2018 was postponed. The next meeting will take place shortly after recess on 10 September.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department has given to the respective health departments in the devolved nations on access to medical cannabis under licence.

Mr Nick Hurd: Advice about clinical applications for medicinal cannabis is available on the gov.uk website, which was publicised at the time of the Expert Panel’s launch. This makes clear that applications must be made by senior clinicians who are on the General Medical Council’s relevant specialist register with an active license to practise.The Department for Health and Social Care is working with NHS England and equivalents in the devolved nations to ensure that cannabis based medicinal products are sourced and supplied where a licence is granted. In the longer term, prescribing guidance will be developed following any decision to reschedule these products.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he is having with NHS England to ensure that consultants are aware of the licencing process for access to medical cannabis.

Mr Nick Hurd: Advice about clinical applications for medicinal cannabis is available on the gov.uk website, which was publicised at the time of the Expert Panel’s launch. This makes clear that applications must be made by senior clinicians who are on the General Medical Council’s relevant specialist register with an active license to practise.The Department for Health and Social Care is working with NHS England and equivalents in the devolved nations to ensure that cannabis based medicinal products are sourced and supplied where a licence is granted. In the longer term, prescribing guidance will be developed following any decision to reschedule these products.

European Arrest Warrants

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests the UK made to EU partners using the European Arrest Warrant in the last 12 months.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests were submitted to the UK by EU partners using the European Arrest Warrant in the last 12 months.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold the information requested.However, statistics on the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) are published by the National Crime Agency each year. These figures include a breakdown of the numbers of requests made and received by the UK.These figures are published at: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/european-arrest-warrant-statistics

Department for Exiting the European Union

UK Relations with EU

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to chapter 1 paragraph 76(a) of the White Paper, The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, Cm9593, what the Government's definition is of talented people.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government’s White Paper on the Future Relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union is clear that free movement of people, as defined in European law, will end as the UK leaves the EU. The UK’s future immigration arrangements will set out how those from the EU and elsewhere can apply to come and work in the UK. The UK will want to continue to attract the brightest and the best, to support our public services and enhance the UK’s attractiveness for research, development and innovation. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) report, due in September 2018, will provide important evidence on patterns of EU migration and the role of migration in the wider economy to inform this. The UK will also make a sovereign choice in a defined number of areas to seek reciprocal mobility arrangements with the EU, building on current World Trade Organisation (WTO) General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) commitments. Trade agreements that exist globally covering trade in services include provisions on the mobility of people for the provision of services (known as ‘Mode 4’ commitments). These provisions enable businesses to provide services and to move their talented people, for example as an intra-corporate transfer. The exact scope and definition of such provisions in any future agreement between the UK and EU will be a matter for negotiation.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Burma

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what information his Department holds on UK companies exporting (a) goods or (b) services to the (i) Burmese military or (ii) Burmese military-owned or controlled companies.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade (DIT) continues to support responsible trade and investment with Burma as an important part of driving mutual prosperity and supporting Burma’s democratic transition. DIT encourages UK companies to undertake due diligence, and ensures companies are aware of UK legislation including the UK Bribery Act (2010) and any relevant sanctions.The export of goods or services to the Burmese military is governed by the EU arms embargo with Burma. The UK was instrumental in the recent tightening of these regulations.DIT holds information relating to export licence applications for controlled goods and services. Details of export licences issued, refused and revoked are published on a quarterly and annual basis and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/export-control-organisation.

Prime Minister

National Security: Public Appointments

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Prime Minister, who she has appointed as the acting National Security Advisor while Sir Mark Sedwill is acting as her Permanent Secretary.

Mrs Theresa May: Sir Mark Sedwill will continue to be the National Security Adviser, in addition to assuming Sir Jeremy Heywood’s formal responsibilities as Cabinet Secretary, while Sir Jeremy takes a leave of absence for further treatment for the cancer diagnosed last summer and for a related infection.

Women and Equalities

LGBT People

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to tackle LGBT bullying in the workplace.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is clear that discrimination and harassment of LGBT people is wrong. While there has been great progress in workplace equality over recent years, we know from the National LGBT survey that too many LGBT people feel unable to be themselves at work and that the majority of incidents in the workplace were left unreported. This is why we have committed in the LGBT Action plan to provide employers with free training materials to support LGBT inclusion in the workplace. We will also bring together employers to help us understand the experiences of LGBT staff in different sectors and to develop targeted interventions to improve the experience of LGBT people at work. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service already provide invaluable advice to employers on workplace equality. They will make sure that LGBT harassment is included in sexual harassment policies and guidance they issue.

Employment: Pregnancy

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Government’s response to the Taylor Review, published on 7 February 2018, when his Department plans to update the pregnancy and maternity discrimination pages on gov.uk.

Victoria Atkins: In response to the Matthew Taylor review, we are working to improve the advice and guidance that is available on pregnancy and maternity rights and obligations. The review of the guidance on gov.uk is currently underway and we will provide an update in due course.